Pat
Cadigan still uses the D-word: 'I write to take serious issue
with Jane Johnson's statement [A139] about all writers being "a
little bit mad." I don't know who she's been having lunch with
lately, but I, for one, am not "a little bit mad."
I am full tilt bonkers, and probably dangerous as well. Hope
this clears up any confusion. You dog.'

Michael
Moorcock and Iain Sinclair speaking in concert were a
sufficient attraction to draw nearly 100 people (including such
luminaries as Robert P. Holdstock and Chris Evans) to the remote
fastness of Dulwich library on 25 Mar. Unfortunately, after a long
embarrassing wait, a certain lack of either Moorcock or Sinclair caused
the meeting to disperse to the pub – pursued by a highly apologetic
librarian.

Andy
Offutt had a heart attack on 16 Mar, followed by quadruple
bypass surgery on 19 Mar. A full recovery is expected. [K]

Chris
Priest grumbles that his pseudonym John Luther Novak, used
when novelizing the new David Cronenberg sf-and-biological-yuck movie
eXistenZ, 'has become one of the worst-kept secrets in
publishing.' Open the book and the very first sentence inside explains
that JLN 'is the pen-name of award-winning novelist Christopher Priest.'

Michael
Swanwick tries hard to be Cadiganesquely shameless: 'I'm not
writing to mention the surprise 50th birthday pardon held here in
Philadelphia at the studio of Walters & Kissinger for artist Bob
Walters, arranged by Tess Kissinger and including a rakish mix of guests
from the worlds of art, science fiction, and paleontology. Not even to
note that in place of individual gifts, Tess solicited contributions
toward a new and enormously loud drum set, thus proving that love is not
only blind but deaf as well. No. Ruthless self-promoter that I am, I am
writing to alert the world that the Bob Walters cover of the upcoming
Asimov's (showing a group of unsuspecting yuppies about to be
eaten by a tyrannosaur, and illustrating one of my stories) features
Your Humble Correspondent in a cameo appearance. Bob invited Marianne
and me to his studio, posed me with a wine glass, and said, "Look
fatuous!" I haven't seen the final work, but when questioned, Bob
said, "Marianne looks fine, but you – oh man!" and doubled
over, helpless with laughter. So I can only assume that I succeeded.' [6
Apr]

27 May - 24 Jun  Don Lawrence exhibition, Gardner Arts
Centre, University of Sussex, Falmer. First major UK exhibition by the
artist best known to fans for the Trigan Empire series in Look
and Learn long ago.

Random
Fandom.Chris Bell on Reconvene: 'I had a rather more
fraught time than last one or the one before, on account of the
coach-party which used their contract with the Adelphi to pre-empt 15 of
our rooms for the Saturday night. They didn't declare themselves until
the Tuesday before the con, which made it a tad difficult to do anything
about it. Still, Hero Fans slept in other people's rooms to make space
for them, and I had my basic faith in the thorough goodnature of the fan
as a species very much boosted.'  Ron Bennett's April
heart bypass operation was successful, but he subsequently had a stroke
which partly paralysed his left side. Intensive physiotherapy continues;
Ron is reportedly fairly cheerful but bored. He's in Ward 14 of Leeds
General Infirmary. [TJ/KS]  Alison Freebairn, who is
braver than me, is 'travelling across Europe in an aid convoy to Bosnia,
Croatia and possibly Montenegro ... going the hard way overland, taking
medicine and clothes to Kosovar refugees. It'll be grim but I'm hoping
to link up with fannish types on the way, for light relief and beer. It
will be May/June, for 3 weeks.' Fans sought in the above places and
Austria, Slovenia, etc: contact 41 Kendal Rd, East Kilbride, G75 8QT;
e-mail alison.ultra@cableinet.co.uk.  Steve Green broke
his left wrist last weekend and may be slow to answer letters or e-mail
for 4-6 weeks.  Perry Middlemiss, Aussiecon chair,
announced the birth of William Perry LeGarey Middlemiss on 3 April.
'Both mother and son doing well.'

R.I.P.Adolfo Bioy Casares (1914-1999), the Argentine author and
anthologist, died on 8 March aged 84. His work is very highly admired in
Argentina, though his reputation outside was overshadowed by that of
long-time friend and collaborator Jorge Luis Borges.  John
Broome, writer of the early Green Lantern comics, died in
April aged 85. He had retired from comics in 1970. [RH]  Carl
Johan Holzhausen (1900-1999), notable Swedish sf/fantasy author and
translator, died in March aged 99. Embarrassingly, various sources
including Sam J. Lundwall's bibliography of Swedish sf and the SF
Encyclopedia addenda had in recent years anticipated this by listing
Holzhausen as dying in 1989. [JHH]  Oliver Reed the
well-known actor died on 2 May aged 61. Some of his genre movies made it
into the SF and Fantasy Encyclopedias: The Curse of the Werewolf
(1961), The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll (1960); The Damned
(1961), The Devils (1971), Z.P.G. (1971), The Brood
(1979), Dr Heckyl and Mr Hype (1980), Adventures of Baron
Munchausen (1989), The House of Usher (1989), and The
Pit and the Pendulum (1990).

Fanfundery.Paul Kincaid is the new GUFF winner after a close-run race, and
thus will travel to the Aussie Worldcon in Melbourne. First-round
voting, Europe/Australasia/total: Steve Davies 29/2/31, Julian Headlong
20/6/26, Paul Kincaid 20/7/27, No Preference 2/0/2, Hold Over Funds 0.
Second round, redistributing JH votes: SD 38/3/41, PK 31/12/43. Total
votes 71/15/86. [JN]  DUFF.Janice Gelb was the
clear first-round winner and will likewise travel to Aussiecon. Voting,
NA/Australasia/total: Lise Eisenberg 58/9/67, Janice 154/15/169, Andy
Hooper 76/6/82, No Preference 7/0/7, Hold Over Funds 2/0/2, Write-in 1.
Total votes 298/31/329. [JM]  Auld Lang Fund.Dave
Langford overcame stiff opposition from write-ins (No Award, Hold
Over Funds, The Door, etc) and was boggled that this one-off did indeed
raise more or less enough for a flight to Australia, now duly booked.
Huge thanks to organizers Marc Ortlieb and John & Eve Harvey, and
all contributors. Now Aussiecon shall know the meaning of fear, i.e. the
Live Thog Hour.  Electrical Eggs UK.Cuddles sends
thanks to all for the £70 raised at Reconvene via sales and raffle
tickets. More t-shirts now in from USA: enquiries F1/2, 10 Atlas Rd,
Springburn, Glasgow, G21 4TE.

Outraged
Letters ... Greg Frost reveals all: 'Regarding Simon
Green's comments about Whitley, the aliens, and the proctological exams
of lore, it has recently been proposed that the alien ships in fact run
on methane, and they aren't remotely interested in the human posterior;
they are simply refueling.'  Simon R. Green on the world
of comics: 'Peter David's latest villains are a Kali-worshipping cult
that are trying to influence young children's minds through TV. The name
of their programme: TeleThuggies.'  Harry Harrison
footnotes an A138 obit: 'Joe Orlando started as Wally Wood's
assistant, became an adept Wood-style artist. Worked with Harvey
Kurtzman on the parody of Little Orphan Annie called Little
Annie Fanny; I think it was in Playboy. Saw him last in NY
when he was one of the editors of Mad. They all hated me there
because I told the True Story of EC comics to a comic fanzine. Joe
whispered to me that I was right.'  Richard Newsome
debunks the anti-sf Falwell rant (A141): 'After this quote was
circulated at Lunacon I went to the public library and checked their
complete file of Reader's Digest – there is no such article and
no such quote by Falwell in that or any other issue. [...] This hoax had
its origin in atheist circles, where it has been posted on websites and
circulated in e-mail for years.' Alas.

Small
Press.Ken Cheslin is at it again, this time
assembling an 'Atom 2000' anthology; he asks fans to send copies of Atom
cartoons for inclusion. 29 Kestrel Rd, Halesowen, W. Midlands, B63 2PH.

Thog's
Masterclass. 'In her new, improved mood, Thea didn't even mind
the unfortunate presence of Glenda Rossner and the heat-seeking missile
that passed for Glenda's mouth.' ... 'Biederman also knew how to avoid
hanging himself with his own tongue.' ... 'Now, every time she checked,
the answering machine was flashing like a festering boil.' ... 'Thea's
stomach fisted.' (all Judith Kelman, One Last Kiss, 1994) [PB] 
'Serpents. Nightmare apparitions of gelatinous flesh that hardened on
the instant to steel-cable sinew and muscle. Serpentine forms of
protoplasm that ripped and tore with tentacular pseudopods as they
streaked like lightning through the air, frightful jaws agape for prey.
Serpents that were neither reptile, animal nor insect, but giant amoebae
evolved to giant size and appalling activity.' (Frank Edward Arnold,
'The Twilight People' in Wings Across Time, 1946) [BA]

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Post-Worldcon Fun. Robin Johnson wants fans to know: 'I am
planning a 5-day tour of Tasmania for Sept 7-12 (the Tuesday to Sunday
following the Worldcon). The details are on the Web at:
http://www.southcom.com.au/~robinjohnson/thylacon3'
... and RJ is reachable at robinjohnson@southcom.com.au when he gets
back from his current British trip.